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HITTING THE BACK BURNER: Boiler and cooler project put on hold

COLUMBIA CITY — A project recently being looked at to replace the boiler and cooler system in the Whitley County Courthouse is being put on the back-burner in favor of more pressing maintenance to the exterior of the building. Mark Sturtevant, courthouse maintenance, said they were already aware of issues with the cooling tower outside of the courthouse.At a recent preventative maintenance inspection, the inspector indicated that the county may want to also begin looking at replacing the boiler system. While gathering cost estimates for the cooling system, Current Mechanical suggested looking at the entire heat-load of the courthouse. The boilers in place were sized prior to the current heat pumps being installed into the building.“The majority of the building is being heated with the heat pumps; it is a very small portion being heated with the boilers,” Sturtevant said.With a plan nearly complete, Sturtevant also noticed work needing to be done on the exterior. Quotes were taken for work such as painting, cleaning, re-caulking and leveling.Upon review of both projects, the two recommended completing the exterior work prior to beginning work on the boiling and cooling project, noting that the exterior was a more pressing concern and that “we can make it another year with the current heating and cooling.”Though it is believed that the system will last another year, County Council concluded it best to address the project once the exterior work had been completed. It will revisit the boiler and cooler issue sometime near the end of June.___For a more in depth look at this story, see the March 12 issue of The Post and Mail. Don't have a subscription? Call (260) 244-5153 or subscribe to our e-edition. For breaking news, sports updates and additional coverage, bookmark the homepage and find us on facebook.